Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) 2014 Showcases the Destination’s Tourism Product to Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Wholesalers
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA – The 24th annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), at the Montego Bay Conference Centre from September 21-23 was a success. This year’s JAPEX, organized by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), included 113 buyers along with 277 participants from 105 supplier companies, and approximately 30 media members from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. “The three-day trade show provided a wonderful opportunity for international buyers, travel wholesalers and tour operators to learn about Jamaica’s tourism product,” said Paul Pennicook, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. “We are continually refreshing our already diverse tourism offerings and JAPEX is our way of ensuring our tourism partners are not only aware of these updates but are utilizing this forum to negotiate with key business partners.”
This year, the JHTA and JTB again collaborated with the trade and investment promotions agency, JAMPRO, to place emphasis on both the leisure and business aspects of Jamaica’s tourism product. Local buyer delegates met with suppliers of goods and services to the hospitality and tourism sector, including food and beverage, jewelry, ceramics, clothing, décor and furniture.
During the opening ceremony, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Honorable Dr. Wykeham McNeill, cited that Jamaica’s stopover arrivals for January to August has seen a 2.6% increase over the same period last year, and that Jamaica is continuing to grow out of its major source markets – the US, Canada, UK and Europe. He also disclosed that for the summer, July saw a record 221,000 stopover visitors, which is the most that the country has ever recorded in a single month.
Jamaica’s tourist industry has undergone a continuous process of growth and improvement with new and renovated hotels, additional attractions and enhancements by allied product and service providers. The destination has also invested in major infrastructural improvements, including new highways linking Jamaica’s major towns, expansions at both international airports and substantial development of cruise ship ports.
